Iraqi militia officials are reporting a Sunday attack by a US drone against a truck in Syria. The truck belonged to Ketain Sayyid al-Shuhada, a militia active on the Iraq-Syria border. Syrian state media said the truck was carrying food at the time of the attack.
The militia is question is one of a handful of Iraqi militias that the US has been attacking in recent weeks, nominally as a “message to Iran.” Reports on today’s attack say that there were no casualties, but the truck was destroyed.
Previous attacks on the militia led to retaliation against US sites in Iraq and Syria. The attacks clearly aren’t an effective deterrent, and if anything this is almost certain to lead to more retaliatory attacks.
The US hasn’t commented on the attack yet to say what they thought they were hitting. Past instances have almost always claimed the militia was smuggling weapons, and that probably will again be the story, despite reports the truck was carrying food at the time.
“The US hasn’t commented on the attack yet to say what they thought they were hitting.” Are they getting tired of copying and pasting the same comments?
US wants to keep that section of Syria-Iraq border open at all times. This is the only way stuff from Jordan and across US base at Al-Tanf can be trucked overland to Iraq. In the name of “Syrian” operations, Iraqi border guards are not allowed. Syria does not control that pass. So only Iraqi militia that was there since defeating ISIS is active there. And hence a problem. Either US or Israel regularly “clear” the area from unwanted eyes.
No comment in this case means running out of explanations as to why US and Israel care for this border spit. Iraq must step up to control its border, a logical answer to this cat and mouse.